Though primitive by today’s standards, the machine guns from WWI were deadly serious. While technically not a “machine gun” in the true sense, the multi-barreled Gatling Gun did see use during the American Civil War, and early machine guns did see use in the Franco-Prussian War. MACHINE GUNSĭespite some misconceptions, machine guns had seen use in combat prior to the First World War. Its effective range was around 900 meters while its maximum range was 5,000 meters. The Springfield M1903 had a rate of fire of 10-15 rounds per minute, and it held five rounds in an internal box magazine. The add-on basically converted the bolt action rifle to a semi-auto pistol-caliber firearm fed from a high capacity detachable box magazines. A Springfield M1903 with a Pedersen Device attached and a 40-round magazine inserted. 30 caliber pistol rounds from a 40-round detachable magazine. The Army did see the benefits of a semi-automatic firearm much earlier, however, and during World War I developed the Pedersen Device, a specialized semi-automatic insert that replaced the bolt on the M1903 and allowed the rifle to fire. The Springfield ’03 was the standard infantry rifle at the time of America’s entry into WWI, and it stayed in that role until it was replaced by the M1 Garand in the late 1930s. Seeing the advantages that the Mauser offered, the American military copied the basic design, and the result was the M1903 Springfield, chambered in. Army was equipped with the Springfield Model 1892–99 Krag–Jørgensen, a rifle that did the job but was clearly outclassed by the Spanish M1893 Mauser. Peter Suciu (Top) (Bottom)ĭuring the Spanish-American War the U.S. A profile shot of a Model 1903 Mk 1 rifle. UNITED STATES 1914 – Springfield Model 1903 A display of Model 1903 Springfield rifles on display at the Springfield Armory (top).

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